A follow up from yesterdays blog were I named Dragon Quest my favorite Square series ( including Final Fantasy). I thought it would only be fitting I flesh out my reasoning with game choices.

10) Dragon Quest: Shōnen Yangus to Fushigi no Dungeon (PS2) - The last of the Dragon quest mystery dungeon series released (Jp only) so a lot of people probably haven't heard about this one. The game contains randomly generated dungeons and uses turn-based action combat. Although its part of the mystery dungeon side DQ series, its also a spin-off of Dragon Quest VIII. The main characters are yangus, red, and Morrie ( the guy who looks like mr satan)

Looks like this:

Very similar to DQ VIII in visual style.

9) Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime (DS) - The first of the Rocket slime sub series of action rpgs on the DS, but a sequel to the GBA game ( a sequel to the ds game exists on the 3ds). This one improves on the first in every single way. The main character is, you guessed it, a slime. I like this more than the others because I played this one first. The tank battles are deceptively fun.

8) Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 Professional (DS) - Up to this point, this game is my favorite in the DQ monsters sub series which takes pokemon, digimon, monster rancher and rolls it up into 1 deep game. The game has 311 monsters, that can all be found in game ( for reference most pokemon games have around 200). The game is basically the game of the year version of joker 2, with not only new monsters, new areas, and some new functionality.

7) Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Special (PS2) - My Favorite in the Dragon Quest board game side series because for the first time it was like this EPIC cross over between Dragon quest and final fantasy. The game plays something like monopoly. The game also had a great character list.

6) Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (Snes,PS2,DS) - Very innovative Dragon quest, in which the game is broken up into episodes where each of the main characters has there own time to shine, and in the last chapter, like true jrpgness, they band together to defeat the evil. This game is memorable for alot of reasons but for me, the torneko chapter was the best. You didnt fight badguys, you didnt save a princess, you simply ran your store to accumulate profit.

Torneko is the guy that looks like mario, only blue ( and fatter) .

5) Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (Snes, PS2,DS) - Somewhat fitting that DQ V is V on this list. This game holds a distinction for me. This is one of the few games were I really hated the villians. They killed your dad, your a slave for 10 years, they take your wife, ect. The enemies are true fucking bastards. And when I played it I felt the rage, as if I had been a slave for 10 years ( sorry black people, it probably isnt the same as what you went through). The innovative part of this game revolves around the main character. You play as a the main character in his child, teen, adult forms, and overcome alot of obsticles. Also, this game introduced a very pokemon aspect to the game, as for most of the game, you dont really have a party of "characters" you have one of monsters. You can also choose from one of 3 brides to be (in the ds version, 2 in every other one)

See the party of monsters?

4) Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (DS) - Radically changed the formula up. No more random encounters, no more defined party members, no more main focus on the story. None of that. It was all about the side quests, world characters, and the gameplay. It was also the first main line Dragon quest released on a portable first. The game was designed to be the most difficult title in the series. What I remember most about the game is the side quests, and earning the legacy maps of each of the final bosses of the previous series. Its like a nostalgia rush to the brain.

3) Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko no Daibōken 3 - Fushigi no Dungeon (GBA/PS2) - WHAT!?!?!?!?! Another side game? Yep, and its my favorite. First released on the gba and later ported to the ps2 ( my favorite version), it is the third Dragon Quest spin-off game in the Mystery Dungeon series. The main character of the game is Torneko, originally localized as Taloon in North America, a merchant playable character from Dragon Warrior IV. The game is the first in the series to feature 3D graphics, and the game includes multiple towns, villages, castles, and dungeons. Some of the locations are not randomly generated. The game includes over 170 types of monsters, and a larger number of items and spells to use in combat than previous Torneko games. Torneko might be my favorite single Dragon quest character because he isnt a hero, simply a mam with a wife running a store.

2) Dragon Quest VII Eden no Senshitachi (PSX) - This game is simply my second favorite for 3 reasons. 1) You fight god, seriously, hes a boss 2) The game is freakin long, taking me 200 hours to beat it 3) Your totally nailing your childhood friend on the side. The main flow of the game is different than the other Dragon Quest games; instead of exploring one large world, the party goes to separate continents by placing stone shards into their appropriate pedestals. Like most of the other Dragon Quest games, this game has several mini-games to participate in. The Immigrant Town, similar to the one in Dragon Warrior IV, lets the player recruit people from various towns. A prominent feature in most Dragon Quest games is the casino. Poker, slot machines, and luck panel can all be played in Dragon Warrior VII. The Ranking Association allows the player to compete for the highest stats, like the Beauty Competition from Dragon Quest VI. The player can also catch monsters, although they are only displayed in the Monster Park, unlike in Dragon Quest V and VI, where monsters fought in the party. All in all, the game is massive. Thats the best way to describe it, massive.

1) Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (PS2) - The first game to be handled by the Level 5 team (who would later go on to do IX), nailed it on the very first try. They didnt nail it, they just did it better than any other team did it. Dragon Quest VIII uses cel-shading textures for the characters and scenery and is the first game in the series to have fully 3D environments.The game retains most of the series' role-playing game elements, such as turn-based combat and the experience level system. Dragon Quest VIII follows the silent Hero, the main character, and his party of allies as they journey towards the goal of defeating the wicked Dhoulmagus. The kingdom of Trodain has been cursed by Dhoulmagus, with the King, Trode, and his daughter, Medea, transformed into a troll and a horse respectively, and it is up to the Hero to return them to their original form and save the kingdom. This is the main gist of the story. You had 4 main playable characters which I will let you all research but I will name them by what they are best remembered for 1) Silent 2) Moron 3) Titties 4) Womanizer. I put something like 250 hours into this game. Not only is the main story path long, but there are alot of side quests like the monster arena, medal collecting, the casino, and other one off side quests. What most people dont know is the game received voices, specifically for the US version of the game.